


Bittersweet Secret

by Secret_Worlds



Series: My Best Friend's Sister [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:07:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27951287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Secret_Worlds/pseuds/Secret_Worlds
Summary: Continuation of Like a Truck. A secret relationship is born and hidden from his best friend/her brother.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Series: My Best Friend's Sister [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2046923





	1. Chapter 1

I closed the door behind me as softly as I could. I didn’t feel like facing either my parents or Chase -especially Chase- after finally getting Andrew to admit his feelings. I wanted a few hours to just relish in the fact that he finally wanted me the way I wanted him. I crept up the stairs silently and, just as I thought I was home free, heard a bedroom door open behind me.  
“Seems like you had fun on your date,” Chase muttered dryly and I turned on my heel to see him leaning against the wall, face contorted into the same frustrated scowl it had been when I’d left.  
“Were you waiting up for me or something?” I snapped, keeping my voice low and crossing my arms.  
“Are you seriously going to judge what I do when you’re sneaking in two hours past your curfew for a date with Alex Reynolds?” he said, voice distorting around the name. I kept my scowl in place as I tried to remember back to my original date.   
It seemed like a long time ago, preceding the real date that had kept me out so late. My date with Andrew. I would’ve been more than happy to point out this fact. I didn’t have a problem with my brother knowing I was going to be dating his best friend.  
Andrew did. Andrew thought Chase would kill him or never talk to him again or something like that. No matter how many times I’d told him he was being ridiculous, he still made me promise not to say anything. So I didn’t correct Chase’s assumption.  
“Relax Chase,” I started, “There’s not going to be another one. He was an idiot so I left the date early. He wanted to go for some ride in the park but I said no. I went to Jenny’s house and lost track of time,” I lied flawlessly, years of practicing on my parents coming to my aid.  
He pushed off the wall and narrowed his eyes at me like he was thinking.  
“That was it? He just let you go?” Chase said dubiously but I held his gaze. If I broke eye contact, the lie would be obvious.  
“I didn’t give him much choice when I decided not to get back in his car,” I replied sarcastically before sighing like this whole conversation was boring me. If I’d been telling the truth, I would be getting bored. But I wasn’t. The only part of my explanation that wasn’t a lie was that Alex was an idiot, so my heart was beating a mile a minute.  
“Just remember, I told you not to go out with him,” he finally said, taking a step back towards his room. I rolled my eyes before entering my room and locking the door behind me. I quickly took my phone out and started typing.  
Me: hey.if any1 asks, i was with u 2nite  
Jenny: k  
Jenny: whatd u do?  
Me…  
I debated whether or not to tell her. On one hand, the more people that knew, the more likely it was that Chase would find out. On the other hand, Jenny was my best friend and knew all about my lifelong crush on Andrew. She’d listened to me talk about him all summer.  
Me: I was with Andrew  
I pressed send and bit my lip before flopping onto my bed, stomach fluttering as I remembered him kissing me. It was better than I’d ever dreamed. Andrew had been my pipe dream that had seemed farther and farther away as the summer wore on and my seduction attempts failed, but tonight had changed everything.  
I finally saw him look at me as more than Chase’s sister. He looked at me with desire but also appreciation and it made my heart feel like it was going to burst out of my chest. I placed a hand on my sternum as though I could keep it inside before I felt my phone vibrate.  
Jenny: u did not!  
I grinned and sat up.  
Me: ill tell u 2morrow if u cover 4 me  
Jenny: deal! I want details!  
I laughed and stood, walking to plug my phone onto the charger at the base of the wall when it buzzed again. I thought about not checking it. If I kept responding, she wouldn’t let me sleep until two am. With a sigh, I unlocked the screen to read the message. I froze, heart beating faster, when the screen said it was Andrew.  
Andrew: Do you ever crouch, or do you always just bend in half if there’s something on the ground?  
I immediately stood from my bent position to look out the window. I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face when I saw that he was standing at his window as well, wearing sweats with no shirt to reveal an amazing physique. He started typing something on his phone before looking back at me, seeming amused by my flustered appearance. A half-second later, my phone vibrated.  
Andrew: Goodnight;)  
I looked back up from my phone and he was gone.  
Me: Goodnight lol  
I crouched next to the wall to plug my phone in before sighing and closing the curtains. From now on if he was going to see me through the window, it’d be on my terms.


	2. Girl Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talking to a friend helps sort through problems.

I looked in my closet and tried to decide if I still needed to dress like a slut. It had done what it was supposed to do. Andrew noticed me. Now came the problem of keeping him. He’d made it clear last night that he liked me for more than my body, but my body had been the reason he’d stuck around long enough to get to know me.  
I chewed my lip as I debated before going with cut-off jean shorts and a tight red v-neck. If I was being honest with myself, I got a thrill out of seeing him check me out so flattering clothes was the best way to go. I put my makeup on dreamily and brushed my hair, electing to leave it flowing straight rather than put it up.  
I couldn’t keep myself from skipping down the stairs. I just felt like a beacon of happiness, thinking about hanging out with Andrew later.  
“What’s up with you?” Chase asked as I strode into the kitchen, grabbing a pop-tart as my nutrients.  
“Nothing,” I shrugged, peeling the plastic off and taking a bite of artificially flavored strawberry filling.  
“Um, you’re smiling and chewing at the same time,” he pointed out and I forced the corners of my lips to tilt down.  
“I’m just in a good mood. Can’t I be in a good mood?” I asked and he raised an eyebrow.  
“Are you high?” he replied and I rolled my eyes, taking my food with me as I grabbed my keys off the counter, making sure I’d remembered to put my cell in my pocket before I came downstairs before leaving the house.  
I looked to the left, desperately wanting to keep walking, not stopping until I was in Andrews room, but I had somewhere else to go. I finished the last of my pastry before I opened the door to my Land Rover and hopped in.  
Me: im coming over  
Jenny: !!!  
I took that as an okay.  
I reversed out of the driveway before heading across town. I started thinking about what all I would tell her. Obviously, I’d have to make her keep it a secret. She’d ask what all happened last night and I considered not even mentioning Alex. He wasn’t important enough to waste my breath on. At the same time, he was the reason Andrew had shown up…  
I sighed as I pulled into her driveway, not having decided what to do. I laughed when I saw she was already on the porch, eyes eager. I felt the stirrings of excitement as I made my way towards her because, even though this relationship was going to be complicated, I was still about to be able to tell my best friend I’d finally gotten my wish.  
“Oh my God, what took you so long?” she questioned, brunette ponytail bobbing as we entered the house, making a beeline for her room. It was decorated with purple walls and white furniture, not having changed much since she decorated it in middle school. She’d always said she’d get around to making it ‘more adult’ but, seeing as how she was leaving for college in a month, there wasn’t much point now.  
“I drove straight here. You’re just too excited,” I laughed, taking a seat in her pink butterfly chair while she sat cross-legged on the bed.  
“I’ve been in a steady relationship for four years. Forgive me for jumping on something juicy,” she said sarcastically. “This is going to be juicy, right?” she asked and I bit my lip, feeling my cheeks heat. She clapped at my response.  
“So, what happened? How’d you end up hanging out with Andrew last night? I thought you had a date?” she asked and I grimaced. I guess we’d be talking about Alex after all.  
“No. My date was with Alex Reynolds,” I said and her mouth twisted the same way Chase’s had. I sighed, anticipating her response.  
“He was your date? That guy? I heard he, like, attacked a girl a few years ago,” she said and I shifted uneasily. I wouldn’t have a hard time believing that. I don’t know what would’ve happened to me if Andrew hadn’t punched him last night.  
“Yeah, yeah, I know that now,” I muttered, studying my french tips.  
“Wait. Did he attack you?” she gasped and I looked back up to her no livid expression.  
“No, well, he tried. But that’s where Andrew comes in,” I said quickly, before she could get too riled up. Andrew’s name distracted her and I saw her eyes light up with curiosity.  
“What do you mean?”  
“Well, Alex and I were kissing and then I tried to pull away but he wouldn’t let me. I started freaking out and tried pushing him off me but he held on so tight. Then -bam!- he was gone. He was on the ground,” I said dramatically, watching Jenny hang on every word. The story was pretty thrilling when retold.  
“How? I mea, what happened?” she asked, leaning forward.  
“Well, I was stunned from the panic from before until I realized it was Andrew. He’d come out of nowhere and punched the shit out of Alex. One blow from him was all it took for Alex to go down,” I remembered seeing the outline of Andrew’s knuckles on Alex’s face and smiled. Jenny was smiling, too, engrossed.  
“And then?” she pressed and I thought back.  
“Andrew kept asking me if I was okay and I was finally able to say yes. Then, he turned back to Alex. I was pretty sure he planned on beating the living Hell out of him so I stopped him,” I said, loving that he’d been so protective.  
“You stopped him? Why?” Jenny questioned like I’d gone insane and I smirked, remembering.  
“That was my job,” I shrugged. She blinked at me once before bursting into a fit of laughter.  
“That’s amazing. But isn’t Alex Reynolds tall?” she asked and my smirk grew.  
“I think I surprised both of them. I pulled my fist back like I was going to punch him but, come on, I’m not stupid. I know me punching him would have little to no effect. So, my windup was just a distraction so he didn’t expect it when I kneed him in the crotch,” I smiled proudly.  
“Yes! Work smarter not harder,” she giggled.  
“Yeah, well, he wasn’t so tall when he was doubled over in pain so I just went all out. I hit him and kicked him and he fell down again but, ya know, predators shouldn’t get off that easy. Andrew eventually pulled me off of him,” I explained with a shrug, leaving out the fact that I would’ve fought against his hold if it hadn’t felt so nice to have his arms around me. She shook her head, smiling the whole time.  
“I can’t believe you beat up Alex Reynolds,” she laughed.  
“Yeah, well, guess what happened next,” I said, excited to share the news with someone else for the first time.  
“He filed charges?” she joked and I rolled my eyes.  
“No. Andrew kissed me! He just spun me around and kissed me!” I squealed and her eyes widened.  
“Are you kidding? Oh my God,” she started before pausing. “Wait. What kind of kiss? Like, how long?” she asked and I thought back, frowning. The first one had been short.  
“Um… one second?” I estimated and watched her face fall slightly.  
“I mean, at least he kissed you, though. That means something,” she said, trying to make me feel better. I laughed.  
“Yeah, I think so too because the next thing he said was ‘I think I’m in love with you’” I said, repeating his words from last night. The ones that had lodged themselves into my brain like a song playing on repeat.  
“Like ‘in love’? Not just love?” she clarified and I nodded, smiling so widely my cheeks hurt.  
“Obviously I told him how I felt because, I mean, why wouldn’t I?” I continued before my grin faltered, remembering the next part of the night.  
“What’s wrong?” she asked, noticing the change.  
“Well, you remember how I told you he has a girlfriend?” I started and she nodded with a grimace.  
“Yeah. I know it’s been hard. Do you think…? Do you think he’s gonna break up with her?” she asked, looking at me pitifully. I let out a hard laugh.  
“No. I don’t. Because she doesn’t exist!” I threw my hands up in frustration. Sure, I was glad he was single, but I was also irritated at him for making up a girlfriend just to keep me away. I had lost count of how many times I’d come to Jenny, hurt.  
“What do you mean?” she asked, sounding as confused as I had been last night.  
“I mean, he made up a girlfriend so that I wouldn’t want to be around him. He created her because I always left the room when he talked about girls and he said it was hard to be around me,” I explained as best I could understand.  
“So he wanted you but decided to keep you away by constantly hurting you?” she deduced and I nodded. That summed it up. “Hold on, if he wanted you and knew you liked him, why was he trying to keep you away in the first place?”  
“What makes you think he knew I liked him?” I questioned.  
“Because you can’t hide a crush that massive for that many years,” she answered simply and I frowned. I’d thought I was pulling it off.  
“Well he’s been holding back because of Chase, apparently. Guys aren’t supposed to date each other's ‘baby’ sisters,” I said, raising my hands to form air quotes.  
“You’re not a baby,” she countered.  
“That’s what I said!” I agreed, shaking my head.  
“So what now?” she asked and I felt myself start to warm again.  
“Well… I asked him why he was even there and he said it was because he knew what kind of guy Alex was and he wanted to protect me,” I said, biting my lip to cover my grin. Jenny’s face turned speculative.  
“That should sound really creepy because he was basically spying on your date but then he busted in all white-knight style so I guess it worked out for him,” I shrugged. Sure him watching my date was weird but his motives were pure and he ended up saving me so I was grateful.  
“Anyway, we were super close and so I just leaned in and kissed him. This time it was definitely longer than a second. It was, like, I’ve been waiting to kiss you for 10 years making out,” I said, blushing as I remembered his hands in my hair and at the base of my spine.  
“Wait -did you sleep with him?” she asked, eyes wide and hands flat on the pink bedspread. I scoffed.  
“Jen, I’m not going to have our first kiss and first time be on the same night,” I said and she seemed to relax.  
“But you kissed. Really kissed. And he’s single. Did you talk about the future at all?” she asked as though she were talking to a child. I rolled my eyes.  
“Yeah. We went to the drive in -it’s actually a really good privacy place on weeknights- and talked. After tonight, neither of us want to go back to the way things have been. We’re… dating. But he doesn’t want Chase to know so I’m not going to be able to hang out with him at my house. God knows nobody at his house can keep a secret. We’ll have to go on out of town dates and hang out where nobody knows us,” I shrugged, grimacing at the prospect in a way I hadn’t let myself do last night. I didn’t want to make him feel too bad about making this so difficult.  
“Dude, you’re Monica Lewinsky,” Jenny said and my jaw dropped.  
“I am not!” I protested.  
“That Andrew is Bill Clinton, you’re Monica Lewinsky, and Chase is Hilary Clinton,” she surmised and, though I didn’t like the analogy, I couldn’t help but snicker at Chase being compared to Hilary Clinton.  
“I’m not a mistress. He’s not cheating. He just feels like he’s breaking some code,” I sighed, low-key hoping someone finds out and tells Chase soon, just to get it over with. Like the Clinton situation, it’s bound to come out eventually. I’d prefer it to be sooner, rather than later, so I can enjoy my summer leisurely with my boyfriend.  
“How do you see this ending?” she asked, as though she could read my thoughts. I sighed, running a hand over my face. This was another reason I wanted to talk to Jenny. She helped me figure things out.  
“I see Chase finding out. I mean, we can’t hide it forever. Not if we want any kind of future. And, if Chase finds out, he can either accept us or not. But… I think it’s the not that worries Andrew. He basically would have to choose between me and Chase, and I don’t know who he would pick. I don’t think he knows who he would pick."  
“Um, he should obviously pick you,” Jenny said like there was no choice. I shook my head with a sad smile.  
“Haven’t you heard?” I started, looking up to her, “Bros before ho’s.”


	3. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew comes clean with some help.

I looked up from my phone at a soft knock on my door. Just as I shifted off my bed to answer it, surprised anyone in my house had knocked in the first place, the door opened. I smiled widely when I saw Andrew enter, his frame taking up an attractive amount of space. He closed the door softly behind him before locking it and I suspected that nobody else knew he was in the house.  
“Sorry, I was gonna wait but I didn’t want to get caught in the hall,” he said, looking around my room for the first time.  
My walls were light blue and my furniture was mahogany. Old homework and college brochures were strewn across my desk and a stereo sat on my dresser along with stacks of CD’s. My comforter was white white with a black/brown design woven in seemingly random patterns throughout it. It was embarrassing how relieved I was when he smiled in approval.  
“How’d you get in here?” I asked in a hushed voice, meeting him halfway before pulling him by the hand to sit with me on the bed.  
“You all said I was welcome whenever,” he shrugged and I giggled.   
“I’m pretty sure you were supposed to take that to mean that you could show up in Chase’s room whenever, but I like the detour,” I said leaning forward and kissing him. I tried to pretend we weren’t in bed but I didn’t have any other seating besides my desk chair, which was ridiculously uncomfortable.  
“I just wanted to see you. I’m not an idiot. I can tell you think it’s stupid to keep it a secret, but I wanted to show you we can still do things like make out in each other’s rooms,” he grinned before leaning in to kiss me again. I rolled my eyes, not pointing out that he had to sneak in and lock my door, leaning into the kiss. It was still so new and thrilling. Andrew was in my bedroom and he was kissing me and his hands were running up and down my back, through my hair… I couldn’t believe I was about to ruin it by talking.  
“Andrew,” I murmured against his lips, using every bit of willpower I owned to pull away while my inner 13-year-old screamed at me that this was all I wanted.  
“Yeah?” he asked, both of us breathing harder than usual.  
“I have to ask…” I started, eyes closing as Jenny’s words played over and over in my head, “how do you see this ending?” I finally looked to him and saw that he hadn’t expected that. He sat back. He ran a hand through his hair as I waited, letting him think it through. I could tell he was fighting against the answer.  
“He’s… he’s gonna find out eventually,” he groaned, running both hands over his face before his head dropped in defeat. He looked so sad I scooted closer until I was pressed against him. We sat in silence before I had to speak.  
“So it comes down to how,” I started before looking up at him, making sure he met my eyes before continuing, “Would you rather he found out from you, or he found out by walking in on us?” I asked, knowing the answer.  
“I just… I guess I wanted a little more time before everything gets messed up,” he sighed, placing a kiss on my hairline. It made me feel like he was saying goodbye and I closed my eyes against the pain in my chest.  
“Wish me luck,” he said, pushing up off the bed and turning to face me. He took my face in his hands and connected our lips again. “I’ll be back,” he said in a terrible terminator impression before striding out the door.  
I sat on the bed in shock. He’d be back? As in, he was going to TELL Chase we were together, no matter what Chase said? I thought he was going to ask. If Chase said okay, everything would be fine. If Chase said no, I thought A) Andrew would date me anyways and decimate his relationship with my brother because he’d only been pretending to ask or B) Andrew would dump me and keep his friendship intact.  
I felt adrenaline start pumping through my system as I realized that, odds were, I was about to ruin Chase’s and Andrew’s friendship. A friendship that had been forged while I was in diapers. How could I say I loved either of them and commit to doing that? I scrambled off the bed and lunged for my door, hoping to get across the hall in time.  
“You WHAT?” I heard right before I swung the door open to reveal Chase sitting on his desk chair while Andrew stood next to the door frame. Chase’s eyes were wild as they shot from Andrew to me and back several times.  
“What are you doing here?” Andrew muttered and I could only look at him apologetically, wishing I’d arrived 30 seconds sooner.  
“I kissed your sister last night,” Andrew said and I felt my cheeks flame at the fact that my brother now had that information.  
“You didn’t even see her last night. She was with-” Chase’s words cut off as he took in my guilty expression. He knew I’d lied. Now he knew why I lied. He stood and started pacing.  
“What the FUCK?” he shouted, coming to a stop between the two of us. This felt worse than any scolding my parents could dole out, because Andrew’s life was being ruined.  
“Look, man, I’m sorry, but I care about her,” he said, looking at Chase but gesturing to where I stood next to him. Chase gritted his teeth.  
“That’s my SISTER. My SISTER. You probably could’ve had any girl out there, man. Why MY SISTER?!” his voice was starting to rise again but I was just focusing on keeping my smile at bay at the fact that Andrew could’ve had anyone but chose me.  
“You don’t think I know she’s your sister? I’ve been trying to get over this since I got back solely because of that. But she beat the shit out of Alex and you can’t sit there and tell me that’s not awesome,” Andrew said and I looked down bashfully.  
“You beat up Alex?” Chase asked and I looked up to see a hint of amusement he didn’t want to feel when he was so angry.  
“He came on too strong,” I shrugged, trying to sound innocent. From the corner of my eye, I saw Andrew press his lips together like he was holding in a laugh.  
“You know what? No! I don’t care if she decides she wants to be a fucking Victoria’s Secret model. She’s still my sister and this whole thing isn’t even remotely okay,” Chase seethed and I was starting to get upset because it was all just completely irrational.  
“Why? ‘Because she’s my sister’ isn’t a reason, Chase. So, give me one good reason why this is so wrong,” I demanded, stepping forward.  
“How about because he’s an entire college education older than you?” he retorted and I let out a hard laugh.  
“I’m still legal. Less than a month from 19, in fact. What else ya got?” I pressed and he frowned. I waited until I was sure he had no response before sighing. “He’s a good guy. You know that. Do you want me to end up with a guy like Alex?”  
“Of course not! I didn’t want you going out with him, either!” he protested.  
“Look, it’s not like we’re going to flaunt it in your face. In fact, we’ll go out of our way not to. Just… be okay with it in theory. That way you know I’ll be with a decent guy and you won’t have to listen to him rant about how much he loves his girlfriend anymore,” I offered and his jaw set as he glared at me, then behind me. I wasn’t sure what he saw in Andrew’s eyes but he finally let out a sigh and closed his eyes.  
I hoped he was debating whether or not this was an issue to lose his best friend over, especially after my brilliant argument.  
“Fine,” he muttered, opening his eyes again and glancing between the two of us. “But you better do that. I better only know you’re a couple in theory. I swear to God if you talk about it or do anything in front of me I’ll lose my shit,” he warned and I nodded, trying to hide my excitement. This had been the underdog version of events. The least likely outcome.  
I turned on my heel and left before he could say anything else, giving Andrew a wink as I passed him. He seemed shocked at how everything had played out and I couldn’t help wondering what would’ve happened if I’d stayed in my room.


End file.
